Social media is fully accessible 24/7. It might seem normal for a business to post its content whenever it is ready or whenever they want.
But, this isn’t the best use of your social media marketing strategy. Posting at the best times when your followers are active on Facebook is much better. It guarantees you higher views, reach, and engagement rates.
So what is the best time to post on Facebook? And is there some magical formula to determine this?
When Is the Best Time to Post on Facebook: Is There One?
Various companies have undertaken research to find the best time to post content on social media platforms. Interestingly, they all have different results.
For example, HubSpot found that you should post between 1-3 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. BuzzSumo found out that the best time to post on Facebook is Sundays.
So which is it? And does where you live in the world matter?
Imagine this: You have created an awesome infographic to show your audience of young marketers when the best time to post on Facebook is. Since HubSpot says you should post on an early Thursday afternoon, you do.
But, your followers live all over the world. So, some see your cool infographic during the time HubSpot suggested in their study. For others, it is midnight or early morning.
Suggested Best Times for Posting on Facebook
Others have suggested these best times to post on Facebook:
- 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays
- 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
- 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thursdays
- 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
The common thread seems to be late morning or early afternoon during the latter part of the week.
According to SproutSocial, these are the global trends for the best time (in EST) to post on Facebook:
- Mondays: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Tuesdays: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Wednesdays: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Thursdays: 11 a.m.
- Fridays: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Saturdays: None
- Sundays: Maybe 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
There are also suggestions about the best posting times according to industry by SproutSocial:
- Healthcare: Mondays to Fridays, 11 a.m.
- Media: Fridays at 7 a.m. and Tuesdays between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.
- Education: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m.
- Nonprofit organizations: Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Restaurants: Mondays at 12 p.m. and Fridays between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
- Technology: Thursdays, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- Travel and tourism: Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Finance: Mondays at 5 p.m., Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Fridays at 11 a.m.
- Hospitality: Mondays at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., Fridays 8-11 a.m., and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4 p.m.
So, How to Work out the Best Times for You to Post on Facebook?
With so much conflicting information, what’s the best time to share your content? Is it related to your audience and when they’re online?
Follows these tips to determine what is the optimal time and day to post your content on Facebook:
Find Your Best Engagement Times
The Page Insights on Facebook gives you a lot of useful data. You can see how your business page is performing, where your audience is from, and how your followers respond to your posts.
Valuable information you can use to pin down when the best time to share your content is to look at how people found your content/page and when they are looking at it.
Start by looking at the 5 Most Recent Posts to show you when your audience is online. Note the time zone. You can also look at Page Views to see in which countries your posts are getting the most views.
Next, go to Posts and All Posts Published. Sort according to Shares, Comments, and Likes to see the total engagement per post. Pay close attention to what the Published column tells you.
Now, you will notice trends by cross-referencing posting times with the other data to see when your audience is likely to engage with your page.
Look at Audience Insights
Audience Insights is another great tool to help you find the best times to post your content on Facebook. This tool looks at both your actual and potential followers and gives you behavioral data, their interests, and demographics.
Use Creator Studio
The Creator Studio on Facebook also helps you understand your followers and how they interact with your posts.
For example, go to Video Insights and then go to Audience to see where your top-most engaged audience lives.
Experiment and Test
With all the data you have gathered, you are now ready to experiment and test. Remember to measure your progress so that you can fine-tune which days and times are best to share content.
Perhaps the easiest way to keep track is to use a spreadsheet. Track how many likes, views, comments, and shares (see: How to make a post shareable on Facebook) each post has. Do this over a few weeks and see what the data tells you. What days have the most interaction with your posts? What times do people engage more?
Final Thoughts
The best time to post on Facebook isn’t set in stone. Yes, there have been numerous studies but each had different results. Perhaps this is a good starting point, though.
See what the “experts” recommend regarding the best time to share your content on Facebook. Look at your industry and the general best times.
Then gather your own data from your Facebook Insights. Test and experiment. Take notes. Fine-tune your strategy until you have a winning time and day that gives you the best reach, engagement, and views.
To make this all easier, why not schedule your posts with Preppr?
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